In its Communication on a Community programme in the field of safety, hygiene and health protection at work (1996-2000), the Commission stressed the need to streamline the operation of the two advisory committees - the Advisory Committee for Safety, Hygiene and Health Protection at Work and the Safety and Health Commission for the Mining and Other Extractive Industries - by merging them, reducing the number of members and giving them a single secretariat.

whereas Member States remain free to apply to broadcasters under their jurisdiction more detailed or stricter rules in the fields coordinated by this Directive, including, inter alia, rules concerning the achievement of language policy goals, protection of the public interest in terms of television's role as a provider of information, education, culture and entertainment, the need to safeguard pluralism in the information industry and the media, and the protection of competition with a view to avoiding the abuse of dominant positions and/or the establishment or strengthening of dominant positions by mergers, agreements, acquisitions or similar initiatives;

Whereas, in addition, insofar as the said Agreement affects Council Directive 90/434/EEC of 23 July 1990 on the common system of taxation applicable to mergers, divisions, transfers of assets and exchanges of shares concerning companies of different Member States (4), and Council Directive 90/435/EEC of 23 July 1990 on the common system of taxation applicable in the case of parent companies and subsidiaries of different Member States (5), which are based on Article 100 of the Treaty establishing the European Community, that Article should be used as a legal basis; Whereas certain provisions of the said Agreement impose on the Community obligations in the field of the provision of services which go beyond the crossborder framework;